www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall unwanted commentaries!

EWTN (Mother Angelica's TV station) is televising the Holy Week services from Rome in these days. Well and good. Less happily, it is frustrating to wish to hear the choir and the clergy while the voice of someone is talking incessantly, either providing an English translation of what is being sung or said (and the English translation is not always accurate, which perhaps offers some comic relief but is still a nuisance), or distracting us with exhortations of one sort or another.

There's not much need for this - the liturgical texts are entirely predictable, so if EWTN considers that the viewers need the translation, it is simple enough to provide a running translation on subtitles, making no unwanted noise. The exception is the sermon, which is not released in advance; there one might appreciate a voiceover translation.

This moves me to offer two suggestions:

a) with joint efforts, can we not organize similar broadcasts of major Eastern Catholic services? It's at least possible that EWTN would be interested; if not, there are other outlets. And
b) if we can get such a project off the ground and on the air, let us eschew the endless talking heads. It would be easy enough to have some good commentators speak before the service, reminding us of what to look for in particular, and/or after the service, offering some catechetical and liturgiological insight into what we shall have seen. But a well-done divine service speaks for itself.

Incognitus

I agree with you on how Vatican services are aired in Maerica with the commentaries this happens even with the POpe's midnight mass on NBC. Subtitles would be fine except for the homily where is the only place we need a commentary. Honestly do we really need to interpret the liturgical songs? Nope

As for Eastern Catholcism on tv its all supply and deman remeber most of the People who give money to EWTN are latin rite catholics they are footing the Bill for that station so expect latin rite programming for the most part. They do have an Light of the East program for Eastern Catholics and Mitch Pacwa has Eastern Rite bishops on his show and he himself is a Maronite Rite Priest.
But for the most part they go by who their viewers are who is contributing to them.
For Byzantine catholics to get their own programming your going to have to get a lot of money together and foot a huge bill. Catholics in general are cheap in giving to televangelism even latin rite catholics. That's why they have one station on tv and protestants have many stations to choose from I have around 6 on my digital tv alone of protestant foolishnees. Its all about the money. I think since the Byzantines are small in number the best bet is to pool your resources with the Orthodox community and by some tv time.

THEY DID IT AGAIN! I watched the Easter Vigil last night, and wanted to throw something heavy at the tv set - just as an example, there was a deacon with a magnificent voice and good liturgical presence chanting the Exultet - and it was impossible to hear more than one word out of six, because of the endless mind-numbing chatter. It all began with an annoucement that one must await the Paschal Light in strict silence - but the person doing the talking evidently felt that this injunction applied to everyone else, not to the "commentator".

On the more positive side, EWTN has broadcast Eastern Catholic services occasionally; I simply would like to convince them to do it more often (and to allow the viewers to hear the service). There are quite a few places from which such services could be broadcast.

For that matter, there are the magnificent solemn services of the Ambrosian Rite on major feasts. Since few of us can go to the Duomo in Milan to attend in person, it would be lovely to be able to see and hear the service over the air.

The same of course applies to the Mozarabic Rite.

So lots of possibilities.

Incognitus

THEY DID IT AGAIN! I watched the Easter Vigil last night, and wanted to throw something heavy at the tv set - just as an example, there was a deacon with a magnificent voice and good liturgical presence chanting the Exultet - and it was impossible to hear more than one word out of six, because of the endless mind-numbing chatter. It all began with an annoucement that one must await the Paschal Light in strict silence - but the person doing the talking evidently felt that this injunction applied to everyone else, not to the "commentator".

On the more positive side, EWTN has broadcast Eastern Catholic services occasionally; I simply would like to convince them to do it more often (and to allow the viewers to hear the service). There are quite a few places from which such services could be broadcast.

For that matter, there are the magnificent solemn services of the Ambrosian Rite on major feasts. Since few of us can go to the Duomo in Milan to attend in person, it would be lovely to be able to see and hear the service over the air.

The same of course applies to the Mozarabic Rite.

So lots of possibilities.

Incognitus